


Outlined

by eggsootart



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, M/M, Romance, a whee bit of smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-15 00:24:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13601610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eggsootart/pseuds/eggsootart
Summary: Baekhyun is a tattoo artist who loves marking up uncharted territory. The tooth-achingly sweet guy from next door is no exception.





	Outlined

**Author's Note:**

> I recently went to this really cool tattoo/beauty parlor that had all kinds of services, the people there were so chill and I started thinking of this au. I don’t really know if this will be enjoyable to read, but I had fun writing it ;u; feel free to talk to me on twitter~ [@eggsootart](https://twitter.com/eggsootart)

“How’s it feel?” Baekhyun asked with a shit-eating grin, his teasing tone making his customer frown even more when mixed with the drilling noise of his machine.

Minseok had been shutting his eyes, opting to flip Baekhyun off rather than respond in words. Baekhyun chuckled, lifting up the machine to wipe away some of the excess ink off of his client’s skin. “Alright, alright. We’re almost done.”

“That’s a relief,” Minseok sighed, having been in the leather seat for over three hours, now. That time had all gone into a piece on his chest that would connect with intricately designed sleeves, also a work of art Baekhyun had slaved over.

“I gotta hand it to myself,” Baekhyun started, replacing an ink cap at his work table before getting back into position. Minseok had opened his tired eyes during the short little break, letting out an exhale when he saw that the grueling pinpricks were about to start again. “I think this’ll be one of my favorites I’ve done in a while.”

“I certainly hope it’s because of the way it looks,” Minseok replied, catty as always, “not the obvious pain it’s bringing me.”

“Of course not, Minseok. I’m no sadist.” Phases of the moon were now etched out across the space below Minseok’s collarbones, surrounding them laid an impressive collage of foliage and oceanic waves. It decorated Minseok’s built chest impeccably, aside from the reddening occurring around the edges.

Nouveau Black was a well respected place, for all of the services it offered. Originally a shop from Tokyo, Baekhyun had been one of the first hires of his local branch and was now a favorite for the artistry in his tattoos. Which was fortunate when his loud mouth and tendency to get overly familiar was more of a hit or miss among customers.

It had been several years now since he had landed the job, and honestly speaking, he couldn’t be happier with the payoff. Being able to work his proudly proclaimed _creative genius_ and be paid for it was as much as he could ask for. And an incentive he spoke about less often was the satisfaction customers got from seeing the hard-earned results.

Another thirty minutes of buzzing and painstaking work later, Baekhyun wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled proudly, scanning the final product with his eyes. He gave Minseok a pat on the thigh as he began to wipe the tattoo down to get rid of any stray ink and tiny beads of blood. “And it looks like we’re done.”

“The words I’ve been waiting for,” Minseok hummed, sitting up and slipping out of his chair to observe himself in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. The calm smile that was characteristic of Minseok tugged at the corners of his lips as he checked out the creation, ink now blazing up from the koi fish on his arms to the new scene painted on his pecs.

Along with the bursts of color and smooth lines accentuating the tiger that covered his back, Minseok’s torso was now quite generously coated in ink.

“Well? What do you think?” Baekhyun asked, but from Minseok’s faint, intent smile he already knew the answer.

“Just what I wanted and more.” Minseok humored the artist, both of them chuckling as Baekhyun got out his camera.

“One quick shot for the memory book and I’ll patch you up,” Baekhyun promised. Minseok nodded, already a veteran with the process, standing tall and waiting for the camera to snap. “And...done!”

As Baekhyun uncapped a container of ointment, spreading it over the fresh piece and Minseok’s sensitive skin, Jongdae walked by and whistled a bit.

“Damn, that’s a good look for you, Minseok,” he complimented, pulling off his gloves. “Finally got your chest done.”

“Yeah. Things have been pretty hectic at the firm, it’s been hard for me to find the time,” Minseok sighed, working out a crick in his neck. Baekhyun finished sealing in the tattoo with some plastic wrap, the process now complete.

Minseok began to slip on his dress shirt, Baekhyun and Jongdae far too used to the businessman by now to snort at his unexpected fondness for body art. When he was done tucking in his shirt and buttoning his suit closed, he fished out his wallet.

“As always, it’s a pleasure to do business with you,” Baekhyun sang, flipping through the thick wad of bills his client handed to him. He smiled at the favorable gratuity included in there, as well. “Just come on in the second you need your next piece done. Perhaps something below the belt, next time?”

“You’d love that,” Minseok snorted, teasingly grabbing Baekhyun’s chin before beginning to head out. “Thanks for the great work, I’ll be seeing you guys.”

“See you,” Jongdae called, sitting down at his workstation to work on a stencil.

At that point Sehun came out from where he had been peeping from Chanyeol’s station, gaping.

“I still can’t believe the suit that was just here is so _covered_ ,” he murmured. “I was not expecting that.”

“That’s what everyone here says when they first see Minseok,” Baekhyun laughed, running a hand through his cherry red hair. “It makes him even more sexy, no?”

“I’m sure his well-paid tattoo artist would think so,” Sehun huffed, when Jongdae shook his head.

“Oh, Baekhyun means it. Those two used to fool around. Probably still do.” Baekhyun elbowed Jongdae hard at that, and Sehun didn’t even look too surprised.

“I was thinking you two must’ve fucked at some point. I mean, your work’s great, but _that’s_ a bit much,” he gestured towards the bills Baekhyun was stuffing into his wallet. “So those are your methods.”

“Shut up,” Baekhyun clipped, rolling his eyes. “As if you _wouldn’t_ go for Minseok.”

“He looks like he could kill me, so no thanks,” Sehun said in reply. He looked over at what Jongdae was doing, plopping into a chair and wheeling over to him with a look of betrayal on his face. “Jongdae, I thought you were going to let me do it!”

“Aren’t you Chanyeol’s apprentice?” Jongdae said sardonically, nonetheless scooting over to let Sehun take over drawing out the stencil. “You don’t have to show up when he’s not here.”

“I know, but he said you two would gladly help teach me on his off days,” Sehun said back, smirking down at the design. In careful purple strokes he outlined an amass of branches and other foliage-like lines that made the silhouette of a fawn. “So who’s this for? Is Baekhyun getting another one?”

“As if I’d let a wet-behind-the-ears brat touch something that’s going on my body,” Baekhyun tittered. If Sehun wasn’t so focused he would have returned the insult, but instead he just huffed from his nose.

Baekhyun was liberally outfitted in his own tattoos, but he still had some real estate left should he ever need more. Fluid designs of linework snaked around his left arm along with geometric, almost tribal-like suns and pinwheels, while his right arm was covered in fractals that transitioned into clockwork. A single, large rose laid along his spine to just above his waistband, a compass on one side of his neck. Those were just to name a few.

“Are you all working?” the three heard someone call. Junmyeon came out from his private parlor, wiping his hands off with a towel and looking at the tattoo artists questioningly.

“Just finished up my last appointment for today,” Baekhyun answered, and Junmyeon nodded. He motioned a little with his needle jokingly.  “You don’t want to get a lil’ something while it’s slow, Jun?”

“As always, I’m good,” Junmyeon sighed, patting the back of his hip where Jongdae had given him a tiny tattoo of a cupcake. A drunken decision that Junmyeon made a month ago that nobody would let him hear the end of. “Never again. Is Kyungsoo in his room?”

“Yeah, he’s helping out some customers.” Jongdae motioned with his head towards the workspace of Kyungsoo, their piercer. Methodical and straight to the point, he brought in stellar reviews; several of the studs in Baekhyun’s ears, as well as Jongdae’s eyebrow piercing, were done by Kyungsoo himself. “Are you done for today?”

“Probably,” Junmyeon said, sitting down on one of Baekhyun’s tattooing benches. Their manager who also was in charge of spa services was rarely ever stressed, considering how smoothly procedures went about in the shop and their customers mainly coming in for tattoos.

The workers chatted for a bit, enjoying the bit of leisure time until there were some walk-ins for tattoos that Baekhyun and Jongdae handled with Sehun watching carefully from the sidelines. All in all, a regular day.

 

  
Later as open hours were ending, the staff had been cleaning and putting away their equipment when they heard the front door swinging open.

“Sorry, we just took our last cust—” Junmyeon began as he looked up, stopping when he saw who it was. “Oh, do you work next door?”

Everyone looked up to see a man wearing a baby blue polo, bearing the logo of the bakery next door on its pocket. From his looks and smile alone anyone could tell he was a gentle person, probably the type who was kind to a fault—and he stuck out quite a bit when surrounded by the folks of Nouveau Black.

“Hi, everyone,” he said cheerfully, gingerly placing a pink pastry box on the counter. “I’m Yixing, I help run the bakery next door—we opened this week! Anyway, there were a bunch of cakes and things leftover, so I thought I’d bring them here.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to,” Junmyeon replied modestly. But Yixing just smiled more, shaking his head as he insisted. A dimple formed on one of his cheeks, and even stoic Kyungsoo seemed to be under his spell.

“We make fresh goods everyday, so please, help yourselves.” With that Junmyeon’s staff seemed more than happy to accept, and Yixing grew a little shy at all of the thanks being thrown at him as they began to introduce themselves through mouths full of sweets.

As a conversation picked up he glanced around the shop, suddenly noticing Baekhyun in the back. Baekhyun was busy finishing up a tattoo for the last customer of the day, his facial expression stern and focused as he did his work. Seeing the process probably intrigued Yixing; he tilted his head curiously, sneaking glances at Baekhyun every now and then without realizing.

 

  
“...And we’re done. Go ahead and take a look, make sure it’s alright,” Baekhyun announced as he completed the tattoo, a smaller one for a client who was around Sehun’s age. She hopped out of the chair as he began breaking down his equipment, observing the crisp, dainty birds he placed on her forearm.

“It looks so good!” she said happily, sounding genuine, and Baekhyun smiled at this. “Thanks! Can’t believe I finally did it.”

“Well, believe it,” Baekhyun joked, getting out his supplies. “Let me clean it up and you’re good to go.”

After treating her skin and walking her through aftercare, he accepted her payment and was ready to pack up when Jongin, the hairdresser, came up to him.

“Tired?” he asked as he sweeped up the stray hair off the tiled floor, and Baekhyun gave a small shrug.

“A bit, yeah, but I can’t complain. At least I get to sit while I work, you’re always on your feet.” He looked up towards the front, seeing the new face that made him suddenly raise an eyebrow. “...Huh. Who’s that?”

“He says he’s from the new bakery,” Jongin explained, brushing his bangs that were dyed a peach color away from his eyes. “Why don’t you go say hi?”

“Oh, I will,” Baekhyun said devilishly, and Jongin could only make a face.

“Please don’t be all... _weird_ , like you normally are,” he advised, making Baekhyun feign ignorance.

“Jongin, you’ll understand the adult world of love and seduction when you’re older.” Before Jongin could protest with anything smart, Baekhyun was already strolling over to the front.

Yixing had been chatting with Jongdae and Kyungsoo, when Baekhyun suddenly sauntered up and slipped in between his co-workers; in part so that he would be smack dab in the center of the newcomer’s attention.

“Sorry to interrupt, but who’s this handsome fellow?” he asked playfully. Kyungsoo and Jongdae were collectively rolling their eyes, but Yixing smiled politely.

“I’m Zhang Yixing,” he introduced himself with a warm tone in his voice, waving a little at Baekhyun. “I work next door.”

“You can call me Baekhyun.” Baekhyun leaned against the counter, making sure to look cool—until he noticed what was behind him. Jongdae cleared his throat.

“He came and gave us some free food, thank him, would you?” he began to advise, but Baekhyun was already preoccupied stuffing a pastry from the open box into his mouth. Jongdae just sighed, slipping on his coat and covering up his decorated arms.

“Oh my god,” Baekhyun moaned at the wonderfully sweet taste in his mouth, making Yixing chuckle a little. “Did you make these?”

“I did,” Yixing replied, the pleasant joy of being complimented showing on his face. “Is it alright?”

“It’s amazing. You have talent,” Baekhyun said with a bit of flirtatiousness in his stare as he swallowed. His target of interest didn’t really seem to catch on.

“Thanks, that’s sweet. But so do you,” Yixing replied, now looking towards Baekhyun’s sleeves. “Did you design those, yourself?”

“Of course,” Baekhyun answered proudly. He understood that his body might not be completely ‘tasteful’ to the average person, especially someone as innocent looking as Yixing, but the man didn’t seem to be judging. Baekhyun then nudged Jongdae a little. “But it’s this guy who had to do the actual deed, unfortunately.”

“You should be honored,” Jongdae quipped, and Yixing giggled—it was such a bright, hearty sound that made Baekhyun feel like he could smother the baker right there.

“So—” he began to say to Yixing, when Junmyeon clapped his hands.

“Alright everyone, I want to go home already. Let’s close up,” he announced, and Yixing nodded in understanding.

“It was nice meeting you all, I should really get going too,” he excused himself, beginning to back out. “Hope to see you all tomorrow!”

He waved to the parlor workers, before pushing out the entrance and scurrying back next door. Baekhyun could only let out an exhale.

“—tell me about yourself,” he finished whimsically to himself, but he couldn’t be too irked. Not when Yixing had flashed him that smile, with the cutest dimple to match, before he left.

“I wouldn’t try,” Kyungsoo scoffed from beside him, raising an eyebrow. “He’s way too good for you.”

“What’re you trying to say?” Baekhyun asked, widening his eyes and placing a hand on his chest in mock pain. “Am I not the epitome of charm?”

Kyungsoo just licked across the snake bites on his bottom lip, putting on his jacket and adding a passive, “you have frosting on your face” before calling in for the night. Jongdae broke out laughing as Baekhyun hurriedly wiped at his chin, whiningly asking how they could let him talk to a hot guy like that.

 

 

 

The next day Baekhyun didn’t think much of Yixing, aside from wondering if the man was working today on his way in. But later in the day when Junmyeon made him update the hours and deals on the little chalkboard easel outside, he was surprised to see a small line forming at the bakery; he didn’t think its opening was so anticipated.

When he squinted a bit, he could make out through the glass the image of Yixing busily hopping back and forth from the front counter to what was probably the kitchen in the back. It made him smirk a little, before he snapped out of it and hurried back inside the store.

 

“Also, Baek, I’d like if you picked up the pace a bit today,” Yifan requested, lying on his stomach across the bench. “My sister's got ballet.”

“If you weren’t so fucking hairy then maybe I would have started already,” was Baekhyun’s response, having to razor down Yifan’s leg before beginning.

Impatient customers were one of the most annoying things, but like Minseok, Yifan was a bit of a regular and had the elbow room to act pushy. And a little _special_ , as Baekhyun would put it; there was a time or two that they met outside the artist–client setting, but he’d leave it at that. Anyone could do the math. “Just get comfortable. This is going to take at _least_ two hours.”

Yifan sighed, resting his chin in his arms and preparing himself.

"So, miss me yet, Baek?" the client asked snarkily, his jokes being a way to distract himself from the pain. Baekhyun just snorted.

"We went out what, two times. Three, if you count you making me a romantic meal of burnt toast the morning after sex. So no." He laughed as Yifan rolled his eyes.

"You'll be back."

" _You'll_ be, if you make me mess this up."

After eventually finishing the dragon that winded down Yifan’s calf (and turning down his advances) and a couple other appointments that day, Baekhyun let out a loud yawn as he stretched out his limbs. He thought to ask Junmyeon to work out the crick in his neck later, the next time he was free.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo said from beside him all of a sudden, knocking on Baekhyun’s desk to get his attention. Baekhyun looked up curiously, before smiling; he knew what Kyungsoo wanted to ask. “I’m on break now. Finish my arm up?”

“Are Jongdae and Chanyeol there?” Baekhyun looked over at his co-workers, making sure someone could step up if there was a walk-in. “Okay, Soo, have a seat.”

Kyungsoo sat patiently on Baekhyun’s chair, perfectly still and quiet as Baekhyun cleaned the surface of his upper arm with some rubbing alcohol. On it laid an outline of an embellished, stylized owl illustration of Baekhyun’s creation; all that was left to do was the shading.

The workers liked to exchange services to each other when applicable; the large tattoo Baekhyun was giving Kyungsoo was both a friendly gesture as well as a bit of an exchange for the some piercings Kyungsoo had recently done for him, recently. Several tattoos that Baekhyun, Jongdae and Chanyeol have had to give each other in the far past were done in similar transactions.

Kyungsoo was even able to get a couple hair appointments out of Jongin for the dainty gauges now in the hairdresser’s earlobes, or perhaps that had happened vice versa. Baekhyun frequently offered to give Jongin a tattoo, but the younger would always shake his head and generously do Baekhyun’s hair for a price reduction.

 _“Are you sure, Jongin?”_ Baekhyun would ask, pointing at the tattoo flashes posted all over the walls. “ _Nothing you’ve ever wanted?”_

 _“I’m fine, just sit down,”_ Jongin always replied in his soft voice, already mixing up the dyes. Baekhyun was a bit offended to find one day that Jongin had allowed Chanyeol to give him an arrow up his ribcage, his excuse being something about Chanyeol seeming “more gentle”. But he supposed it was a worry someone like Jongin would have; even during that short little session with Chanyeol, the kid was whimpering, face crumpled like he could cry while lying on his side.

With his arm against the rest, Kyungsoo looked straight ahead as Baekhyun got to work. The sound of his equipment was the only noise in the store besides Junmyeon’s jazz playlist that he claimed was soothing for customers, along with the pair’s idle chatting.

“Is it just me or does it hurt more than last time,” the piercer murmured, letting out a small exhale. Baekhyun nodded.

“We’re going over the same areas, they’re still sensitive.” His machine whirred as he shaded inside of the clean lines he had drawn the last time, the grey tint turning a bit red over time from the bleeding. “I had to cover up this guy’s tattoo earlier, he had his ex girlfriend’s name on his inner arm. Must’ve hurt like a bitch.”

“Tragic,” Kyungsoo said, making a face. “Was it that same guy you had a few months, ago? The one who wouldn’t shut up about wanting to marry her?”

“Yup, that’s the one.”

“Ouch.”

“This is why you don’t get tied down,” Baekhyun chortled. Kyungsoo seemed to contemplate.

“You can get tied down. Just don’t get whoever's name drilled on you to celebrate it.” He lowered his eyebrows when Baekhyun hummed in response. “So you’re not going to call Donghae again, after you begged me for his number for weeks?”

“He’s too much. Wanted me to be his boyfriend or whatever after a couple dates—I’m not about that,” Baekhyun explained with a smirk, changing out his needles. “He knew his way around, though.”

“You’re too much,” Kyungsoo sighed in response.

“You know it, honey.”

As Baekhyun continued to work, he didn’t notice the door opening until he heard the little bell ringing.

“Be with you in a second!” he had called without looking up from Kyungsoo’s tattoo, when a voice he recognized spoke up.

“No need, please take your time.”

This got Baekhyun to look up immediately once he finished up a section of shading, glancing over his shoulder to see Yixing patiently waiting by the counter.

“Oh, it’s you!” he chirped with glee, and Kyungsoo hissed a little.

“I swear to god, Baek, now’s not the time to be distracted,” he muttered under his breath. Baekhyun ignored him, popping out of his seat to greet Yixing.

“Yixing, right?” he asked, smoothing back his hair when Yixing nodded. He flashed a toothy grin. “Do you remember my name?”

“Of course—Baekhyun!” Yixing replied, and Baekhyun automatically felt smug for no real reason. Yixing then looked over at Kyungsoo. “And Kyungsoo! How’s your day going? Oh—your arm, are you doing okay?”

Smugness was over.

“What brings you over here?” Baekhyun asked quickly, drawing Yixing’s attention back to him. “Need something?”

“Oh, not particularly. Your guys’ mail was accidentally delivered to us so I came to drop it off.” Yixing set some envelopes and catalogs onto the countertop, before folding his hands politely. “Well, I don’t want to distract you when you’re busy—”

“That’s okay, I’m almost finished,” Baekhyun insisted, already scrambling to hurriedly pull up another chair by his workstation. He could _feel_ Kyungsoo repressing his snort. “Come on, you came all this way—from next door, but still. You should sit and chat for a bit.”

“Are you sure?” Yixing looked over at Baekhyun, then at Kyungsoo, who nodded. He eventually smiled, making his way around the counter to join the two. “I guess I have some free time.”

Yixing ended up staying very still and very quiet during the rest of the procedure, as if he was the one getting tattooed. He probably was worried about distracting Baekhyun, opting to just watch silently. The noise from the needle blazing across Kyungsoo’s skin and the tiny droplets of blood that Baekhyun had to wipe away every now and then also seemed to make him clam up a bit.

Baekhyun couldn’t suppress the tiny smile that came over him when he caught Yixing staring wide-eyed, lips slightly apart, as he changed his ink; he was so cute. And he could have sworn he even gave off a bit of a sweet, confectionery scent—although, that made sense.

“It’s done,” he finally said after the final stroke, making Kyungsoo release a heavy sigh, eyes snapping open.

“Done?” Yixing asked like an echo, eyes still wide but with amazement this time. He looked more excited than Kyungsoo, but that wasn't saying too much.

“Look alright?” Baekhyun asked as he disassembled, and Kyungsoo nodded, studying his arm in the mirror.

“Thank you,” he said in his low voice, and Baekhyun beamed; Kyungsoo hardly showed enthusiasm, but there were a few telltale signs that he learned to pick up on over time.

After finishing up the last steps of the process and Kyungsoo had gone to show off the finished product to Jongdae and Chanyeol, Baekhyun finally turned to give his full attention to Yixing. “Sorry about that, I hope you weren’t too bored.”

“No, no. It was really fun, watching.” Yixing picked up a binder that served as a portfolio of Baekhyun’s work, beginning to flip through it. “I can’t believe you’re capable of all of this. You’re amazing, I couldn't even pass high school painting.”

“Well, I can’t cook for shit so I think you’re pretty amazing, too,” Baekhyun said with a smile, leaning his elbows on his knees as he looked down at the images with Yixing. He secretly anticipated each coming page, gauging Yixing's reaction and being pleased that he was able to show off. “How was it at your place, today?”

“Pretty good. Tiring, but good.” Yixing had some flour stains and smears of icing on his shirt, and Baekhyun found even that adorable. Yixing smiled more as he continued turning the pages, taking in all of the illustrations Baekhyun had brought to life on people’s bodies. “I’m pretty inspired now, seeing all of your work. Inspired for some cake decorating, at least—that I can do.”

“Yeah?” The two laughed a little, and Baekhyun nodded along. “You’ll have to show me some of your art as well sometime, then.”

“Maybe I will. My ‘art’ disappears quickly, though,” Yixing giggled at his own joke, and it prompted Baekhyun to smile wider. “You know, because it gets eaten. While yours lasts forever.”

“Perhaps. But I speak from personal experience when I say that yours tastes a whole lot better.” Yixing looked up to laugh more, his laughter full and lighthearted.

“You’re funny,” he said softly, eyes bright. “How did you end up in the tattoo business?”

“Nothing special, really. I grew up wanting to be an artist, and then I got a few tattoos when I was in high school.” Baekhyun pulled up his shirt a little, revealing a crescent moon and sun linked together on his hip—his very first. “I just fell in love with it, the whole process and creative element of it. So I kept getting ‘em done. Then during art school I apprenticed for a guy, and now I’m here.”

He shrugged a bit. “My mom and dad probably would have preferred that I was a more _traditional_ artist, but life's all about give and take, you know? Even if it makes me stick out a bit at family reunions, I love what I do.”

“That's really nice,” Yixing commented, but Baekhyun was unsure if it was towards his story or towards the tiny tattoo. Perhaps it was for both. “Can you show me your other ones? Or is that rude to ask?”

“No, no, it’s not.” Baekhyun chuckled at how timid Yixing could be. He smirked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “But you’d have to get me naked to see all of them.”

Yixing blushed, but a smile still tugged at the corner of his mouth; Baekhyun took it as a sign he hadn’t gone off the deep end, yet. He hadn’t expected Yixing to artfully _respond_ though, so when he did, he felt a little floored.

“I don’t mind if you don’t,” is what Yixing articulated, getting up with a coy smile on his face. Before Baekhyun could say anything else, the Yixing was looking down at his watch. “Sorry, Baekhyun, I should be getting back to work. But this was fun.”

“It was,” Baekhyun coughed out, wondering if Yixing had actually been flirting back in that split second. Perhaps he wasn't so innocent, after all. He hurried up to the counter, leaning on it to wave Yixing goodbye with the most enticing smile he could muster. “Come over whenever you like.” Yixing chuckled at the wink Baekhyun gave him.

“Same to you, okay?” With that he left the store, leaving Baekhyun with a stupid grin on his face. It was here that Junmyeon had come out from his massage room, tilting his head at the sight of Baekhyun dreamily watching Yixing through the glass until he was out of sight.

“Did _he_ get something done?” he asked in bewilderment, and Baekhyun shook his head. It prompted Junmyeon sigh, before lightly swatting the back of his employee’s head with a rolled-up magazine. “Then what are you doing? Be productive, at least.”

“Yes, boss,” Baekhyun sighed. Junmyeon was always getting on his case whenever he had just a second of spare time.

 

 

 

“I’m going next door. Anyone want anything?” Baekhyun asked as he patted his pockets to make sure he had his wallet.

“Me!” Jongin called excitedly as he shampooed a customer’s hair.

“We do!” Jongdae shouted from across the store where he and Chanyeol had been training Sehun.

Kyungsoo raised a hand from where he had been sitting, getting a shoulder rub from Junmyeon, who also piped up with his requests. Baekhyun sighed, looking through his wallet.

“So, everyone,” he mumbled, scratching his head. “Great.”

A week had gone by, but he and Yixing had seen each other several times since Baekhyun had finished Kyungsoo’s tattoo. His co-workers were so fond of snacking on the sweets from Yixing’s store, with Yixing often bringing over extra cakes and other sweets he couldn’t sell at the end of the day. But as delicious as Yixing's creations were, Baekhyun much more looked forward to Yixing himself.

He poked his head inside the bakery, which was filled with the honey-like scent that Baekhyun could always faintly detect on Yixing. But Yixing wasn’t in the front; instead was one of his helpers, named Zitao.

“Oh, it’s you,” Zitao said, having stood up straight now that a customer had come in before going slack again at the sight of Baekhyun. “What can I do for you? Should I get Yixing?”

“If he’s busy then it’s alright,” Baekhyun said, masking his inner disappointment. But as if Zitao could see through him, the man snickered and went around to the back.

“Yixing! The tattoo guy is here again,” he called as he went.

“Which one?” Baekhyun could hear Yixing ask, and it made him smile. Zitao answered something along the lines of ' _the, uh...red one'_ , and seconds later Yixing was bouncing out to the front.

“Baekhyun!” Yixing chittered, leaning on the glass display case. “You’re on break?”

“Uh-huh,” Baekhyun replied, internally bursting with joy like he always did at how happy Yixing seemed to see him. Yixing smiled, motioning for Baekhyun to come on over to the back.

“Come keep me company,” he invited, tilting his head cutely. “Like I did when you were tattooing Kyungsoo.”

“You barely even spoke a word that time,” Baekhyun laughed, nonetheless following Yixing to the kitchen where all of the magic happened. Although, it was a bit of a trainwreck; flour was stuck to every possible surface, countless dirty bowls and pans piled up in the sink. It shocked Baekhyun a little to see Yixing have such a disorganized workspace.

“It’s sort of a mess,” Yixing said when he noticed Baekhyun gaping. “But I’ve been testing recipes all day. So I have an excuse.”

“Hey, I’m not judging,” Baekhyun said, holding his hands up in defense. “My workspace is always clean, but that’s mainly because it has to be, with what I do. You should see my room at home though, it’s a maze of clothes and takeout containers. Jongdae, being the neat freak he is, screamed at me once when he came over, it was so bad. But even he gave up on me after he could barely put a dent in it.”

“Well, if your goal was to make me feel better then you’ve succeeded,” Yixing replied, picking up a dishrag and checking on something in the oven. “Did you need to take anything over to the others?”

“Yeah, but they can wait.” Baekhyun perched himself on a stool, watching Yixing pop some cupcakes out of a tray. “It’s not everyday I finally get to see the master at work.”

“I’d hardly call myself a master,” Yixing mused, pulling up next to Baekhyun and beginning to frost the cakes. “But if you really believe so, I can't deny you that.”

The two chatted as Yixing finished decorating his treats, and by the end of it Baekhyun felt absolutely stuffed to the brim from all of the tastings he was doing. Full from the confections and probably on the verge of a sugar rush, he would have been ready to pass out if he wasn’t so thoroughly satisfied by the conversation.

“I’ve seen all kinds of characters. Businessman who just might be part of the mafia, to teenagers who get stuff they’ll probably regret later because they want to be rebellious. At this point nothing surprises me,” Baekhyun said when Yixing couldn’t stop laughing at his story of a drunk customer blacking out in the chair.

“I can’t say I’ve ever dealt with anyone too crazy. Not that it’s a bad thing—people, especially strangers, tend to make me nervous. I couldn't handle something as personal as your job,” Yixing said as he piped roses on a cake, with Baekhyun watching like it was the most mesmerizing thing in the world.

“You never seemed too nervous around me.” Baekhyun smiled when Yixing looked up, seeming a little flustered at the statement.

“You’re pretty easy to be around, I guess,” he replied. “I mean I won’t lie, you and your co-workers did intimidate me at first glance. I was a very straight-laced kid, and grew up in the most peaceful neighborhood imaginable in rural China—so I don’t think I’ve ever been around so many hoodlum-looking characters at once, before.”

“None of us are like that underneath the surface,” Baekhyun reassured. “The only tat Junmyeon has is a cupcake on his ass but he’s the scariest out of all of us when he’s upset. Chanyeol’s probably scary-looking since he’s so huge, but he’s also the person who once cried when he couldn’t take a stray cat home. Jongdae thinks he’s a rebel when he stays out until ten and calls his mom the first thing when he gets home. Kyungsoo, he's just curt—and Jongin's how he looks, he couldn't kill an ant if you paid him.”

“Well, I know now,” Yixing chuckled. “I felt comfortable around them pretty quickly after meeting them. And you, you were so friendly. And it helped that you talked to me with pink frosting all over your mouth.”

“Hey,” Baekhyun whined, feeling embarrassed as Yixing handed him a cup of coffee. In his disgruntlement he took a sip too fast, burning himself with a yelp that made Yixing laugh even more.

“Yeah...you’re not who I thought you were, at all,” he giggled, handing Baekhyun a napkin.

“Should I take that as a good thing?” Baekhyun asked exasperatedly, wiping the coffee stains off his jeans. Yixing made a noise of acknowledgement, returning to frosting his cake.

“Of course. You’re even better.” Baekhyun just sat there with a smug look on his face, waiting for Yixing to elaborate. When Yixing noticed, he rolled his eyes a bit. “You joke a lot, and you’re a bit scatterbrained but in a refreshing way. Even when I didn’t know you, you gave me the impression that you seem to be leading a very fulfilled life. All that combined with your looks, I imagine you must be very popular.”

“I’m not too sure about that one,” Baekhyun said in a modest tone.

“Really?” Yixing tilted his head curiously. He chuckled a little at Baekhyun’s mischievous expression. “I’d think everyone would throw themselves at your feet, with how forward and engaging you are. You could probably have anyone you wanted.”

“What, you think I’m some kind of heartbreaker?” Baekhyun snorted, shrugging. “There’s never really much ‘heart’ involved with what I do with others, to put it simply.”

“I see…” Yixing rubbed his chin. “Haven’t met the right person?”

“Who knows.” Baekhyun snickered. “I kind of don’t think anyone can handle me that way. I’m a bit much, as you know.”

“That’s a good problem to have,” Yixing reassured, setting aside his supplies and drumming his fingers against the countertop. “Better than being too little, at least. Too bland.”

“What, you think you’re bland?” Baekhyun blew a raspberry, picking up a cupcake Yixing had been frosting and biting into it. He would really have to watch what all these visits to Yixing’s shop would start doing to his waistline. “Trust me Yixing, if that were the case then I’d have plenty of better things to do during my break."

He then poked out his lower lip in thought. "Well, I don’t, unless you count watching Jongdae try to convince Jongin to get a tramp stamp. But still, my point stands.”

“Oh, I’m sure. And it’s not just because you get to eat up all of my work,” Yixing simpered, wiping away some icing Baekhyun got on the corner of his mouth for him. 

“That’s just an added bonus. Besides, I helped too!” Baekhyun laughed, pointing at the oven. "I stirred all that cookie dough for you. I _slaved_ over it for you—you're used to it, but it's quite the workout."

"You're right, that's no easy task," Yixing quipped, rolling his eyes at the sight of Baekhyun jokingly kissing his biceps. "If tattooing somehow doesn't work out, you've earned your place here for sure."

"Duly noted." Baekhyun looked up at the clock, groaning. “Speaking of that, I have to get back soon. _And_ I have to buy some pastries for the others.” He got up from his stool, licking the frosting off his thumb. “I’ll see you, Yixing.”

“Okay.” Yixing smiled to himself as Baekhyun went around to leave the kitchen, before going up to the window and whispering to Zitao to give Baekhyun his order free of charge.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the especially slow days, sometimes only one or two of the tattoo artists would stay late at night to close up when piercing and hairdressing hours were over. On this particular night it was Baekhyun’s turn, and he sighed to himself as the others boastfully said their goodbyes.

Sinking into Junmyeon’s wheely chair, he decided that he could at least use the spare time to work on some personal projects.

There weren’t any customers coming in that night, only a few phone calls with inquiries or to schedule appointments for the rest of the week. Baekhyun had been hunched over at his table, etching out some freehanded work and his yawns becoming more and more frequent as the urge to procrastinate came over him. He wondered if he could slip out to get a coffee, real quick.

The one nice thing about closing alone was that there weren’t any rules, he supposed. He could play his own music, fool around, whatever he had to in order to pass the time.

Feeling his phone buzz in his pocket in the final hour, he pulled it out to see it was a message from Minseok.

 

 **[Minseok]** ****  
You free?  
I’m at the bar

 

Baekhyun felt his lips purse a little. More often than not, meeting Minseok late was just an invitation for fooling around. And a few weeks ago he probably wouldn’t hesitate on making it happen—but now, he found himself relieved that he was supposed to be watching the shop tonight.

He then looked at his other messages, thinking of Yixing. Visiting each other on their breaks turned into exchanging numbers and texting each other once in awhile, often with pictures of whatever they had been doing at work. Baekhyun was normally very forward; if he liked someone or just wanted _something_ from them he’d say so, and like Yixing had hypothesized, he always got what he wanted.

And it'd be the biggest lie on Earth if Baekhyun denied that he quite liked and wanted Yixing. He did all that and more the second he laid eyes on him.

But for some reason Baekhyun wasn't going about it as he normally would. Whenever they’d start talking during their short little breaks, he’d get so wrapped up in every little thing Yixing was saying; or perhaps he was just feeling deflated because the majority of his flirting seemed to go right over Yixing's head. Either way, with a routine now built, Yixing wasn’t just the cute guy who worked next door, whose nice lips Baekhyun very much wanted to suck.

He was the cute  _friend_ who worked next door, whos nice lips Baekhyun very much wanted to suck.

Feeling himself smirk a little, he considered that maybe this was the reason he wasn’t paying much attention to anyone else, at the moment. His interest laid with Yixing, more than he had initially thought.

 

 **[Baekhyun]** ****  
sorry, closing up the shop  
maybe another night, k?

 

A while later he had been in danger of falling asleep when the front door was suddenly jammed open, the abruptness of it all scaring the wits out of him as he nearly threw his pen across the room. He looked up in a disarray, wondering who was the jerk bursting in ten minutes to closing. Until his words all got caught up in his throat.  
 

“...Yixing?” he got out after squinting a bit. Sure enough, Yixing had been the one who had rushed in, coat hanging off his shoulders and his eyes wide.

“Oh, I made it,” he said with relief, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. “It’s just you closing up today, Baekhyun?”

“Yeah, all by my lonesome. Did you come here as soon as you locked your doors?” Baekhyun said with a wily smile on his face. “What’s with you?”

Yixing walked over, sliding off his jacket and his bag, setting them on one of Baekhyun’s benches.

“I want a tattoo,” he declared, and Baekhyun’s eyes went wide. “Can you give me one?”

“You do?” Baekhyun said, absolutely surprised—but in a pleasant way. It was unexpected, but he was never in a place to argue with a customer. “Of course. You’re sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Yixing smiled, although Baekhyun could detect a bit of nervousness in it. “Please? I trust you, a lot. Will you?”

Baekhyun couldn’t say no to this even if he was allowed to, even if he _wanted_ to.

“It’d be a pleasure,” he said, beaming. “Let’s talk about it.”

After the paperwork and identification, he had Yixing sit down with him at his table, getting out a sheet of paper that they could brainstorm with since Yixing didn’t have a specific image with him.

“So,” Baekhyun began, tapping his chin with his pen, “what did you have in mind?”

“Flowers,” Yixing answered, before biting his lip a little, hesitantly. “Is that very cliche?”

“No, no,” Baekhyun shook his head, pointing at Yixing. “Besides, it’s about you. Not me, or anyone else. Either way, I have flowers too.”

“You do?” Yixing asked, and Baekhyun stood up. Before Yixing knew it, Baekhyun had turned around, pulling his shirt up to bunch around his shoulders to expose his smooth back and display the large rose painted down its center.

“See it?” Baekhyun asked playfully as if it was hard to spot, and Yixing was in awe.

“Yeah… It’s beautiful,” he answered, stunned by the look of the strikingly red rose and thorny stem standing out against Baekhyun’s pale skin, emphasizing his delicate frame. He felt an urge to just reach his fingers out and run them gently along Baekhyun’s back and down to his hips where other tattoos vaguely poked out at the waistband of his jeans, but of course refrained from it. Baekhyun was already pulling his shirt down, anyway.

“And let me tell you, hundreds of people get roses and it doesn’t matter. So don’t worry about shit like that,” he said reassuringly, and Yixing smiled.

“Okay. Well, I don’t think I want roses, but,” he began, pulling something up on his phone. “Something like this, I had in mind.”

Baekhyun looked at the picture Yixing held up, smiling.

“We can arrange that,” he proposed.

  
Soon after they had decided on a branch of pale pink flowers, ranging from shapes like that of the plumerias Yixing had looked up to dogwoods and azaleas.

“How big did you want this?” Baekhyun asked, about to get to work drawing up a sketch. “Or better yet, where?”

“That, I’m not too sure about,” Yixing admitted, scratching his head. "I want something not too visible, so I can hide it if I need to. At first I thought maybe my ribs...but that’s really painful, right? I feel like I might pass out.”

“I guess that is a tough spot,” Baekhyun said honestly. He smirked a little. “The ass is usually a good spot for beginners, you know.”

“I’m sure,” Yixing laughed, shaking his head. “I appreciate the suggestion, but I don’t think it’s quite what I envisioned.”

“Fair enough,” Baekhyun replied, feeling a little lighthearted. He hadn’t had this much fun planning a tattoo in a while, and he could tell that he was helping to make Yixing less nervous, as well. And with the shop so empty, the two could take their time in silence. “Yixing, this is your first tattoo, right?”

“Yeah, my first.” Yixing scratched at his neck. “I’ve wanted one, for a long time. But it scared me a lot, so I always debated with myself... Plus I didn’t know if it suited me, and I also didn’t have anyone to go to, things like that. But I feel much less scared when I imagine it’s you doing it for me.”

“Wow,” Baekhyun said, blinking at Yixing with unassuming eyes before breaking out into a teasing smile. “That’s quite a bit of pressure.”

“I still feel like I can throw up because I’m so nervous, don’t get me wrong. That’s why I had a few shots before coming over here.” Yixing laughed when Baekhyun’s mouth fell open. “Kidding, I’m kidding.”

“You scared me!” Baekhyun groaned, nudging Yixing. “I told you there’s nothing I hate more than people sitting in that chair drunk.”

“I know, I’m just pushing your buttons,” Yixing chuckled. He then looked pensive, trying to think of where to place the tentative tattoo. “So then I was thinking of...my shoulder blade?”

“Ooh,” Baekhyun breathed. It suited Yixing painfully well, in Baekhyun’s eyes; classy and delicate, but still bold and eye catching. He was already imagining Yixing’s lean but strong frame from the back, bare except for an arrangement of peach-colored blossoms decorating the contour of one side. He’d look back at him from over the shoulder of that side, eyes alluring and inviting.

Immediately shutting down that fantasy before it got out of hand, he nodded. “I like that.”

Plan, done. Drawing, done. With Yixing’s sincere approval of the image, it was almost time to start.

“If you could take off your shirt,” Baekhyun said the words smoothly, gesturing to the bench, “and have a seat so I can apply the stencil.”

Yixing nodded, pulling off his work polo and exposing his untouched body to Baekhyun. It took all of Baekhyun’s willpower to tear his eyes off before Yixing could notice him staring like a creep; he picked up his stencil, before going up behind Yixing.

He cleaned up the area with some rubbing alcohol, beginning to carefully place on the thermal-fax and then pressing it securely with the palm of his hand. Yixing tensed a little at his touch, and Baekhyun wondered if he was crazy for finding this so intimate. It was literally something he had done hundreds of times, with countless other people.

It always did give him a bit of a thrill to give someone their first tattoo. But with Yixing, he was starting to feel wrought with anticipation. He could practically hear Jongdae sardonically asking, _you get off on this, don't you?_

He kept this thought to himself though, and after peeling off the backing of the paper he grabbed one of Jongin’s mirrors to help show Yixing what it looked like.

“That’ll give you a feel for how it’ll be,” he explained, and Yixing studied the reflection carefully. He was silent for a bit, and Baekhyun was suddenly worried that he would hate it, and then change his mind on getting a tattoo altogether. Which was completely his choice, but Baekhyun had been enjoying this, and the fact that Yixing trusted him. “Sorry, is it not what you had in mind?”

“Oh, that’s not it,” Yixing reassured, turning around to look at Baekhyun with wide eyes. “It’s just, it looks so _nice_. I never imagined I could have something like that, so I’m just...amazed to see it on there, finally.”

“Just making sure,” Baekhyun laughed, a wave of relief washing over him. He patted the bench, smiling. “Then shall we get started?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Yixing said back, and began to gingerly lower himself down on his stomach. He leaned on his cheek, looking at Baekhyun with a shaken expression. “Will it take a long time?”

“It’s a bit big,” Baekhyun guessed, putting together his machine and getting out his ink caps. “So maybe an hour or so. Why, did you have somewhere to be at 9 on a Tuesday?”

“No, it’s not that,” Yixing mumbled. “I just wanted to know how long I’d have to, you know, feel the pain.”

“It’s only scary right before it begins,” Baekhyun said comfortingly, subtly stroking Yixing’s hair before he finished preparing his needle and equipment. “And that’s just nerves.”

“Okay. I’ll believe you.” Yixing squinted teasingly before he closed his eyes, taking even breaths.

“Uh-huh. Then after that it’s all rainbows and butterflies…”

“Now you’re really bluffing,” Yixing griped, pouting. It allowed him and Baekhyun to chuckle a little, and it broke the tranquility. “Thanks so much for doing this for me.”

“It’s sort of my job, Yixing,” Baekhyun chortled, scooting up and placing a hand on Yixing’s back. He could feel Yixing tense up, even jolt a little, when the machine turned on and the buzzing filled the room. Turning the equipment back off immediately, Baekhyun patted the man laying on his table a little in an attempt to mollify him. “You gotta relax. Make sure you’re comfortable.”

“I am,” Yixing said unconvincingly through gritted teeth. Baekhyun looked at him pointedly.

“I’m sure,” he scoffed, pinching the taut muscles of Yixing’s neck with cold fingers that made him yelp. “I can’t start until you calm down.”

“O-okay,” Yixing sighed, taking a deep breath. Baekhyun’s fingers began to soothingly rub little circles into the back of his neck, and Yixing began to loosen up just a bit under Baekhyun’s touch. He seemed to calm down considerably, before giving Baekhyun an affirmative look. “Alright. I’m good.”

“Just let me know if you need a break. I’ll start now.”

And start Baekhyun did. Yixing’s face immediately contorted the second the needle made contact with his skin. His lips grew tight, closed eyes clenching up and eyebrows furrowing slightly. Baekhyun had never felt so bad for a client before; he definitely wished that if there was anyone who could be immune to the pain, it would be his sweet Yixing. But alas, he had no choice but to continue drilling the needle across Yixing’s shoulder blade, only stopping to clean it up every once in a while.

“You doing okay?” Baekhyun asked gently as he made progress on the outline. Yixing made a noise of acknowledgement, and Baekhyun chuckled. “We’re about halfway done. You’re doing very well, I’m proud.”

“I’m not a kid, Baek,” Yixing murmured at the praise, his fingers clenching and unclenching both due to the pricking sensation and the need to do something while he was lying down. “...But thank you.”

“No problem. So any particular reason you wanted flowers?” Baekhyun asked, setting down his equipment when the outline was done. He began to change out his needles, preparing to color in the design. “You don’t need one, I was just curious.”

“Hm,” Yixing hummed, opening his eyes. “I guess they make me think of where I grew up. I haven’t been back to China in a long time, so I kind of wanted this as a reminder of home—that picture was from my mom's garden. Plus, I like to think that it’s a classy choice.”

“It’s very classy. And sweet,” Baekhyun said, grinning a little. “Let me guess—you’re a big mama’s boy.”

“Is it that obvious?” Yixing laughed, the conversation taking his mind off the pain. “Although she might kill me if she saw what I’m doing.”

“It can be our secret,” Baekhyun promised, making Yixing smile.

“I always wanted to leave home,” Yixing started, tapping his fingers lightly against the leather of the bench. “But look at me now, getting something that’ll remind me of it forever. Guess you can’t let go of your roots.”

“Guess not,” Baekhyun said, looking closely at the flower he was shading in, wiping away tiny orbs of blood that surfaced on the skin. “You’re just a little country bumpkin on the inside, huh.”

“Hey,” Yixing giggled. “Not everyone gets to be a hardened city boy from birth.”

The two continued to make lighthearted conversation this way above the whir of Baekhyun’s machine, until finally, Baekhyun shut it off for the final time that night.

“That’s it,” he said in a celebratory tone, “you’re done.”

“That’s _it_?” Yixing asked in shock, sitting up from the bench with wide eyes. It hadn’t felt like that long, when he was able to talk through it with Baekhyun. “Really? You did it?”

“ _You_ did it,” Baekhyun corrected him, getting the mirror to show Yixing the final product. And Yixing seemed so endeared by the beautiful sprig of flowers now painted on his shoulder blade, he didn’t even need to say anything for Baekhyun to be assured that he liked it. But that wouldn’t stop him.

“Baekhyun!” Yixing gushed, suddenly throwing his arms around his tattoo artist. “It’s amazing!”

Baekhyun had never quite gotten a response like this before, but he definitely wasn’t complaining. He placed his hands on Yixing’s bare waist, feeling a smile spread on his own lips at how excited his client was.

“I’m happy you like it,” he said softly into Yixing’s ear, and they pulled apart, snickering at each other.

“Of course I do. Thank you,” Yixing said gratefully, and Baekhyun almost felt _cold_ when he let go of the other man. The glee and relief over Yixing's satisfaction had gotten to his head, and he felt himself grow flustered.

“So...let me bandage you up and tell you about aftercare,” he uttered, fumbling through his desk for his supplies. After another ten patient minutes Yixing’s shoulder blade had the protective film over it as well as his shirt; once Baekhyun given him instructions on taking care of it while it healed, Yixing watched as Baekhyun began to put away his equipment.

“Baekhyun,” he called with a pout as if Baekhyun had forgotten about him. When Baekhyun looked at him questioningly, he smiled. “How much do I owe you?”

“Oh, that?” Baekhyun came over to lean on the counter, across from Yixing. He had debated in his mind earlier on how much to discount Yixing for the tattoo, but now he just flashed him a grin. “It’s on me. Don’t worry about it.”

“What!?” Yixing sputtered, automatically shaking his head. “No way, Baekhyun.”

“You keep giving us free stuff from your place,” Baekhyun dismissed, waving a hand. “Consider us even, now.”

“You’re just being nice to me because you know me,” Yixing complained, and Baekhyun could only shrug—he supposed that much was obvious. “Come on, let me pay you _something_.”

“Something, huh.” Baekhyun rubbed his chin, and for a second he caught Yixing’s resolute gaze. A small, mischievous smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he tilted his head.

“How about you just give me a kiss, then.”

It was a small spurt of gutsiness and brashness that allowed those words to slip out, and when Yixing looked absolutely stunned, Baekhyun sort of regretted it. “Um, I’m just—”

But Yixing’s look of surprise had gone as quickly as it came, being replaced by one of warmth and affection. He cut Baekhyun off by lightly grabbing the other man’s chin, and kissing him deeply.

Part of Baekhyun really had been joking when he had said that; but there was another part, the tiniest little bit, that hoped and anticipated that Yixing would actually accept like this. After getting over the shock he immediately closed his eyes, placing a hand on Yixing’s nape and drawing him in closer.

He let his tongue slip into Yixing’s mouth, the man letting out a tiny sigh as he gently cupped his hands around Baekhyun’s face. They both grew more eager with the kiss, their mouths open and tongues intermingling heatedly. Baekhyun was so desperate to have Yixing be as close to him as possible that he forgot there was a counter between them, Yixing letting out a little whine when the edge dug into his hip.

“Sorry,” Baekhyun laughed softly as they broke the kiss. Yixing was absolutely starry-eyed, lower lip glistening with saliva and his mouth still slightly agape.

“That’s alright,” he breathed.

“But wow, that was nice,” Baekhyun complimented, running his fingers effortlessly through Yixing’s dark hair. “I’d do some backbreaking work if it meant I could keep getting payment like _that_ from you.” Yixing seemed to grow a little shy once the heated moment was over, burying the lower half of his face into Baekhyun’s palm.

“Thanks,” he whispered back. Baekhyun couldn’t help himself from cracking up, and Yixing whined at him for it.

“You’re funny,” Baekhyun trilled. “Sometimes you flirt back with me, but only for a second before you turn back into this shy character. Are you trying to drive me crazy?”

“You draw it out of me,” Yixing relented. “Other than that it’s a bit out of my comfort zone.” Baekhyun smiled, tweaking Yixing’s nose teasingly.

“You just keep getting cuter.” He went back over to his station to finish breaking his equipment down. “It’s getting late, we technically closed over an hour ago. You take the bus, right?”

“Y-yeah, I guess I should be going.” Yixing looked over at Baekhyun, a small smile spreading on his face. “So, I’ll...see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely. I’m sad though, I’ll never have a more delightful customer.” Baekhyun flashed Yixing a grin, making the latter roll his eyes.

“I bet you say that to every cute person you tattoo,” he said sardonically.

“Ah, but Yixing, that's where you're wrong. I’ve never tattooed anyone close to being as cute as you.” Baekhyun’s grin only grew when Yixing grew noticeably more flustered, and he of course watched Yixing leave the store all the way up until he was out of sight. Now free from putting up his cool act, he carded a hand through his hair, processing what just went down and reveling in how rewarding it felt.

By the time he was done cleaning and was about to lock up, he spotted something from the corner of his eye as he passed by the counter. It was a few neatly folded up bills, left by Yixing; Baekhyun could only sigh, half out of exasperation and half out of affection, wondering why _this_ had to be the one thing Yixing’s ever acted pushy about.

 

 

 

Baekhyun had never been one for defining things, and Yixing seemed all too complacent to do so himself. But Baekhyun saw nothing wrong with that, and whenever he saw Yixing over the next week he only focused on how nice it was just to be around him.

Over the week after that night their interactions didn’t change too much—other than the fact that they became a slight bit _friendlier_ in things like their conversations, or their touches. Like the touches that frequently happened between their lips when nobody was around.

One day, the second he saw Yixing stroll into the tattoo shop with a box of donuts and his cheeks pink with pleasure during his break, Baekhyun immediately smacked Chanyeol on the back and told him to take care of any walk-ins. He ignored the whine of pain Chanyeol gave him, only having eyes for Yixing.

“Hello,” he sang, greeting Yixing in the same libertine way as always, nearly crashing into the counter in his hurry. “What brings you here?”

“Just wanted to give you guys a little something,” Yixing replied, placing the box into Baekhyun’s hands. “Are you free?”

“Why yes, I am,” Baekhyun purred, looking back at the currently empty store. “Want to go somewhere quiet?”

Yixing looked at him questioningly, and before he knew it Baekhyun was tugging him towards the back of the store where the private studios were.

They passed by Kyungsoo’s room, where the door was ajar and Jongin was lying on the table, whining.

“Kyungsoo, I’m scared,” the younger blubbered when Kyungsoo looked for the proper needle.

“ _You_ wanted this, so stay the fuck still, Jongin,” Kyungsoo growled as he used a disinfectant wipe around Jongin’s belly button. Baekhyun and Yixing stifled laughs to each other, before the former led his companion through the door to his own studio.

“So what’s this for?” Yixing asked, hopping up to sit on the bench in the middle of the room. Baekhyun sat with him, propping on elbow on the other man’s shoulder.

“For certain sessions, maybe if someone has a more complicated design we have to work out or they want a bit of privacy. But we’re not really a fancy shop so Chanyeol, Jongdae and I just share this one,” Baekhyun explained. Yixing nodded, looking around the room that was a bit more sleek looking without all of the flash on the walls, being replaced with a few frames of artwork that was presumably of the tattoo artists’ creation.

They talked in the peacefulness of the room, with no loud chatter or music playing, assisting in building up the mood. They went about how they normally would though; telling each other about their days, making idle conversation, Baekhyun happily scarfing down Yixing’s donuts.

Baekhyun eventually slid a hand up Yixing’s back, stopping to place it gently where his new tattoo was. “Does it feel alright?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Yixing smiled at him. “It stops hurting once the needle’s gone, you know.”

“Look at this expert,” Baekhyun sneered a little, putting his arm around Yixing. “So, Mr. Zhang, after your first tattoo experience… Think you’ll ever get another one, someday?”

“I’m not too sure about that,” Yixing laughed, shrugging. “But at the very least if I do, I know who I’ll come to.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Baekhyun said nearly in a whisper into Yixing’s ear. It almost made Yixing shiver, and he looked back at Baekhyun with hooded eyes.

“Baekhyun—” he began, when Baekhyun pressed their lips together. He immediately submitted, letting out a soft hum as he wrapped his arms around Baekhyun’s neck.

He was laid down on the bench with Baekhyun climbing over him, his mouth opening and tongue begging for entry into Yixing’s. Yixing of course would comply, his lips coming apart and allowing Baekhyun’s tongue to delve in and lick hungrily inside. It quickly grew heated, with Baekhyun taking control and kissing Yixing with the intent to take his breath away.

Yixing ran his hands up Baekhyun’s torso, his shirt riding up and revealing the sun and moon on his hip as well as part of a beautiful willow tree that started below his waistband and fanned out on his abdomen. With Baekhyun pretty much lying on top of him with their legs tangled while they made out, it felt like he would begin to lose himself from how hot it was.

Fingers curling around Baekhyun’s shirt when Baekhyun began to suck on his tongue, Yixing let out a tiny moan that made Baekhyun want to be taken right there.

In his enthusiasm he accidentally clacked his teeth against Yixing’s, making the latter whine a muffled “ _ow, teef–”_ before the two broke out giggling.

“Whoops,” Baekhyun mused, continuing to kiss Yixing’s smile and caressing his cheek. “I love your dimple, you know.”

“Everyone tells me that,” Yixing tittered, kissing back. “I love the little freckle by your lips.”

“Trying to one-up me?” Baekhyun wrinkled his nose, and Yixing just laughed heartily and pulled him down for more. He tugged on the other man’s lower lip with his teeth before resuming the kiss, slipping his tongue out to once more mingle and rest with Yixing’s.

They necked for a while longer, with Yixing hugging Baekhyun close to him and running his fingers through his red locks. Baekhyun used one hand to pop one of the buttons on Yixing’s polo open, exposing his collar and ample space for sucking on. Yixing continued to caress Baekhyun’s hair, eyelids fluttering when Baekhyun moved down to take some of the soft skin in his mouth.

Exhaling at the feeling of Baekhyun marking his skin like this, he wished he could do the same if only Baekhyun had been wearing something that wasn’t so low-cut and sleeveless. But he’d gladly take what Baekhyun gave him. Shifting his legs around, one of his thighs found its way in between Baekhyun’s, the friction making Baekhyun stifle a few sinful moans.

After leaving a couple dark red marks on Yixing’s pale chest, Baekhyun seemed to be satisfied with returning to kissing Yixing's lips as he ran a hand up the other man’s shirt. With Yixing’s sweet taste on his tongue and his muscles underneath his gentle touch, Baekhyun felt like he could do this for hours. He would have, it there wasn’t suddenly a knock on the door that made the pair break apart.

“I don’t even want to know what’s going on in there!” Jongdae yelled from the other side of the door, “Baekhyun! I’m coming in!”

Baekhyun had been shuffling off of Yixing’s lap when Jongdae burst in, but with his arms still tangled around Yixing and Yixing’s starstruck expression, it was still obvious what they had been up to. Jongdae had initially come in with a hand over his eyes, and upon removing them he seemed to sigh in relief.

“Thank god, I came in time,” Jongdae grumbled, crossing his arms. “Your 4:00 just got here. Get your ass over to the front.”

“Yeah, alright, just get the fuck out, Dae,” Baekhyun jeered.

“Fine, next time I’ll just steal your customers,” Jongdae sang back. “Anyway, nice to see you, Yixing.” Yixing could only blink, face having gone red as Jongdae casually nodded towards him and left. He was too stunned to remember to respond.

“Christ,” Baekhyun sighed as the other man hastily buttoned his shirt back up. “Duty calls, I guess. I can’t believe the time went by so fast.”

“Yeah,” Yixing murmured, smoothing out his dark hair that had become a mess from their excessive smothering. “That means it’s time for me to get back, too.”

Before Yixing could leave the store, Baekhyun caught him with a light touch on the arm and gave a cat-like smile.

“One more thing. Are you doing anything after work, today?” he asked when Yixing turned around curiously.

“No, in fact,” Yixing replied, raising an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Well, in light of how rudely we were interrupted,” Baekhyun laughed, motioning towards Jongdae across the shop, “I was thinking we could pick things back up when we’re not under time restraints. Maybe...at my place?”

“You’re not too subtle, are you,” Yixing snorted, nonetheless repressing a giddy smile that went well with his cheeks that were a faint pink. “Yeah...I have some time, after work.”

“Perfect.” Baekhyun pecked Yixing on his forehead, having to go slightly on his tiptoes. “Talk to you later, stud.”

 

  
It was hard for him to focus on the rest of his shift, to say the least. Just the thought of a night with Yixing made him jumpy in his seat, and he had to control the risqué visions already letting loose in his imagination. His co-workers often considered asking why he was so squirmy, before deciding that they could guess.

So the second Baekhyun was off, he was bounding home to get ready for Yixing to visit. He couldn’t remember the last time he was this needy and excited to have someone over; he even cleaned up a little, made sure he had wine, threw some stuff in the microwave in case Yixing was hungry after work. It was he least he could do.

Sitting on his sofa, stomach flipping with anticipation as he debated in his mind for the hundredth time whether he should change his outfit or if that would look too desperate, he automatically jumped out of his seat the second he heard his doorbell ring.

Opening the door with a smile already plastered on his face, he immediately grabbed the shirt of the person on the other side and pulled him in.

“Oh!” Yixing squeaked at the enthusiastic greeting, looking at Baekhyun incredulously. He was still in his work uniform that was littered with handprints of flour, Baekhyun now feeling glad he didn't change. “Baekhyun! What if I was someone else?”

“I’m not expecting anyone else,” Baekhyun replied, wrapping his arms around Yixing’s neck with a grin.

“Still. What if you just pulled in your mailman, or your landlord or something?” Yixing joked, making Baekhyun laugh.

“Excuse me for being enthusiastic, Yixing.” He pushed the door closed, gesturing to his apartment. “So welcome to my humble abode.”

“It’s very nice,” Yixing said, looking around. There was a bunch of supplies and Baekhyun’s artwork that was hung up on the walls, and upon closer glance he could see what looked like a bunch of magazines, mail and catalogs packed messily into the shelves and even under the sofa. “Did you clean up before this?”

“How did you know?” Baekhyun asked in astonishment, frowning when Yixing started laughing at him.

“I just had a feeling.”

The two chatted a bit and ate some of the cheap reheated food Baekhyun had prepared, and Yixing wondered in bewilderment if he always ate like this.

“Remind me to teach you how to cook, sometime,” he said, scrunching up his nose at the frozen pizza on his plate.

“Are you saying this isn’t fine dining?” Baekhyun asked through mouthfuls, and Yixing could only roll his eyes.

“Maybe for a struggling college student,” he replied, chuckling when Baekhyun lightly nudged him from under the table with his foot.

“You teach me how to make those amazing pastries you brought yesterday, then. I’ll teach you how to work a tattoo machine, if you want.”

“The second part isn’t necessary,” Yixing dismissed, and Baekhyun snickered.

“I’ll make it up to you some other way then,” he said flirtatiously, and Yixing couldn’t get out a reply other than a thick swallow.

As they finished up Yixing tried to wash the few dishes they used, before Baekhyun crept up from behind to link his arms around his waist.

“Leave it,” he whispered, Yixing able to feel his lips against the back of his neck. Baekhyun aimlessly rubbed the fabric of Yixing’s shirt between his thumb and index finger, smirking. “You’re going to shed powdered sugar all over my floor. Maybe we should get you out of these clothes.”

“Nice line,” Yixing teased, nonetheless turning around and kissing Baekhyun fully on the lips.

It was a strong kiss that Yixing initiated this time, with too much saliva and teeth to be purely romantic. Like earlier in the private studio, the two were getting more grabby and needy, bumping into the counter as they messily tangled their tongues together.

“Bedroom?” Baekhyun panted when they broke away for a second. He was already being blown away, and they were just kissing; he could only imagine what could come next.

“Y-yeah,” Yixing said back, and before either knew it they were clumsily finding their way to said bedroom, not wanting to take their lips off of each other. Baekhyun stripped off Yixing’s shirt first, having been wanting to do that for a while.

He teasingly paused everything to look intrusively over Yixing’s shoulder, observing his work.

“Nice ink,” he commented, and Yixing laughed aloud.

“Thanks, I know a talented guy,” he played along, before running his hands up Baekhyun’s decorated arms. “But you’re one to talk. So I’m finally going to see all of yours?”

“I told you. Get me naked and you will.” Yixing didn’t need any more encouraging, and he helped Baekhyun out of his own shirt. It revealed a detailed masterpiece of swirls and clockwork on one side of his chest that connected to both his sleeve as well as the compass on his neck. Yixing didn’t even have time to admire it though, because they were fervently making out again on Baekhyun’s bed.

The mattress creaked as they settled on it, with Baekhyun on his back and fumbling to undo the other man’s belt as they kissed. Another thing he had been dying to do. He heard his zipper being lowered as well before Yixing was stripping off his jeans, wasting no time in fulfilling Baekhyun’s earlier challenge.

With a growing pile of clothes on the floor the two were only more driven, Yixing grinding his hips against Baekhyun’s and creating a friction between their lower areas that made both suppress a moan. Yixing began laying kisses down Baekhyun’s body, from his collar and down his abdomen.

As he got lower he purposefully avoided Baekhyun’s hard-on that was trapped in his underwear, opting to suck on a soft spot on the man’s inner thigh.

“Yixing,” Baekhyun whined from the teasing, touching Yixing’s soft black hair. After hearing Baekhyun choke back a noise like that, Yixing seemed to run out of patience himself and hooked his fingers into the waistband of Baekhyun’s boxers, sliding them down eagerly.

And now that Baekhyun was completely bare for his partner’s eyes to admire, Yixing could only think in his head that Baekhyun himself was a work of art. He let his fingertips flit across the soft skin of Baekhyun’s stomach to his hips, taking in the sight and growing a bit speechless.

He could see the full willow tree that adorned his waist and side now, along with the stars on his hips. A snake coiled on his thigh and wrapping around one leg, musical-like illustrations winding up the other. Everything about Baekhyun was beautiful, even apart from the art he wore on his body.

“What’re you gawking at?” Baekhyun asked, finally making Yixing look up. He smiled teasingly. “I love attention, but stare a few seconds more and you’ll make even me shy.”

“I just love looking at you,” Yixing replied honestly, and Baekhyun smirked.

“You're not half bad to look at, either.”

“That's sweet.” Yixing finally began sliding a hand down Baekhyun’s chest and eventually let it brush against his cock that was standing hard against his stomach. “Do you have…?”

Baekhyun knew what Yixing was about to ask for, reaching on his bedside drawer and tossing him a small bottle of lube along with a condom. Yixing smirked at how ready he was to respond, uncapping the bottle as Baekhyun turned over to put himself in a better position.

“You shouldn’t need much though,” he said tantalizingly, looking over his shoulder with the most haughty look in his eyes. “I did it myself earlier tonight.”

“Baekhyun,” Yixing murmured, biting his lip at the thought and nudging a finger around Baekhyun’s soft rim. “You’re so…”

“I couldn’t help it. I was thinking of how you were going to come by, and how badly I wanted to be fucked by you,” Baekhyun went on, seeming to know what the explicit words were doing to Yixing. It was written on Yixing's face, how the talk was making him shy yet turning him on simultaneously. “I'm not known to be patient, you know, but I’ve been waiting, so can’t you give it to me? Please, Yixing.”

His words disappeared into a small moan when Yixing pushed his index finger inside of him, followed quickly by another finger, then another. Yixing found that Baekhyun was right; he was already stretched well. That wouldn’t stop him from scissoring his fingers thoroughly, then curling them to find and massage at Baekhyun’s sweet spot.

“Oh, Yixing—” Baekhyun moaned, jutting out his ass and showing how much more he wanted. But right when he was feeling the overwhelming pleasure, Yixing pulled his fingers out, the sensation of suddenly being empty making him whine a little. “C'mon then, give the real thing to me.”

“The real thing, huh,” Yixing mused, getting rid of his boxers and giving his erection a few strokes before rolling on the condom Baekhyun had tossed to him. He positioned his cock against Baekhyun’s entrance, with Baekhyun looking back at him with a playful smile on his lips that somewhat contrasted the way his eyes were so hooded with lust.

“Yes, the real thing. The thing I've been dreaming of in the last god knows how many showers,” Baekhyun spelled out, enjoying the way Yixing’s expression tightened. “I’m begging you to just fuck me already, _please—”_

He was cut off into a sigh full of need and desire when Yixing pushed inside of him, arching his back and feeling his arousal pool in his stomach. Yixing let out a deep groan as he buried himself to the hilt inside Baekhyun, his cock being tightly enveloped by Baekhyun's tight walls.

“That’s so fucking good Yixing, _fuck_ ,” Baekhyun’s voice quavered as Yixing began to move, hands firm on his hips, so unbelievably turned on by the way Yixing held him and by the sound of his low moans mixed with that of their skin smacking together. The sensation of Yixing’s thick length sliding against his prostate was also obviously contributing.

“Fuck, you feel...really good,” Yixing muttered under his breath, gazing down at Baekhyun’s taut ass then up the stem of the rose along the line of his back, beautifully curved with his position. He leaned forward to place a kiss on the nape of Baekhyun’s neck, running a hand down the front of his body like he was attempting to hold all of him in his palm. “You’re taking me so well, too.”

“But of course,” Baekhyun purred in between his pants and moans, and he could hear the little chuckle Yixing gave at how it was barely coherent.

“I’ve been waiting for this, too,” Yixing admitted as he changed up the pace to be more slow and languid, thrusting deep inside of Baekhyun and making them both hold back obscenities. “Every time I kissed you, god, I could imagine doing this wherever we’d be.”

“I’ve wanted it even before the first time we kissed,” Baekhyun said in a low laugh. “You probably knew, though.”

“Hm...I considered the possibility,” Yixing replied, kissing Baekhyun’s shoulder. “I'm pretty modest, but you’re also quite the open book.”

“Then maybe next time,” Baekhyun yammered, tossing his head back when Yixing began picking up the pace again, growing more forceful in the way he slammed into him, “you can fuck me in the private studio, just bend me over the bench and...” He trailed off into needy cries, feeling Yixing behind him, caging him in, surrounding him in heat.

“I don’t think your co-workers, nor your customers, would be thrilled if we did that,” Yixing relented, despite feeling a deeper wave of arousal wash over him at the thought. Baekhyun snickered, leaning his cheek on his arms as Yixing fucked him into the mattress.

“I’ve done it before,” he said offhandedly, almost provokingly. "Or is that not your style, doing it where you're not supposed to?"

"I can't say I ever tried," Yixing admitted breathily, Baekhyun only growing more encouraged.

"There's a first for everything, my friend," he mewled, and Yixing couldn’t respond with anything other than a huff.

He eventually pulled out to flip Baekhyun over so the smaller man was lying on his back, wanting to be able to look at and kiss Baekhyun’s face. Connecting their lips sloppily, he buried his fingers in Baekhyun’s hair as they moaned into each other’s mouths.

Baekhyun felt himself closer and closer to coming, closing his eyes and having a feeling Yixing was at the same state; his thrusts had become more rushed, desperate as he chased his impending orgasm. He wrapped his arms around Yixing’s back, feeling the thin layer of sheen that had formed on his skin. “Oh, god, right there...”

“You’re so good, Baekhyun,” Yixing mumbled like he had been throughout the sex, along with the occasional question to make sure it felt alright. The mannerisms were sweet—and Baekhyun loved the compliments Yixing was showering him with. Yixing smoothed a hand lovingly up the other man’s stomach and chest, grazing against the piercing in his nipple before moving up to cup a hand on his cheek. “I can’t get enough.”

“You’re all too charming,” Baekhyun managed to get out, before the surges of pleasure from Yixing hitting that sweet spot again and again began to be too much to worry about forming sentences Yixing was hitting the right spots at the right speeds, fucking him into oblivion. He felt the rush from the redness in his face down to his curled toes, before beginning to lightly press his nails into Yixing’s back. “Shit, I’m gonna come—”

Yixing muttered something low in agreement, getting in a few more sensual rolls of his hips before pulling out. Taking Baekhyun’s throbbing, leaking cock in one hand and his own in the other, he stroked both of them to their climaxes, the room filled with their lewd gasping and moaning.

“Ah, fuck—” Baekhyun breathed as he finally came with Yixing’s touch, clutching at his sheets and his hot seed spurting onto his chest. He ended with a few heavy breaths, the orgasm being the best he’s had in months. His eyelids fluttered, and he could hear Yixing cursing in what was probably Mandarin as he finished as well.

Giggling tiredly when Yixing pretty much fell on top of him after that, traces of their semen still in between them, he combed his fingers through the other man’s matted hair.

“That was really great,” he whispered into Yixing’s ear when he finally caught his breath, tenderly wrapping his arms around his companion for the night and holding him close. “I mean, I had really high expectations but _that_ still managed to beat them.”

“Yeah?” Yixing asked with a spent but proud smile, his dimple appearing. “Me too.”

The two lazily meshed their lips together a few more times, smiling through it and getting themselves tangled in the sheets. They chatted in low, waverish voices, giving each other gentle caresses and gazing at each other as they talked. Baekhyun felt his eyelids growing heavy from both the long day as well as being fucked out, and let out a yawn. Yixing could only smile at the cute display.

“I should go home, it’s late,” he said, sitting up and setting aside a pouting Baekhyun.

“You can’t stay the night?” he whined, lying on his side and watching Yixing grab his clothes off the floor. Yixing looked back, smiling apologetically as he shook his head.

“I have to get in early tomorrow, I’m sorry.” He put on his pants, before leaning over to kiss Baekhyun on the forehead. “I wanted to stay, too.”

“Hm.” Baekhyun jokingly made an angry expression, before rolling over with a sigh. He normally didn’t care if people left after everything was said and done, but he had expected and very much looked forward to falling asleep in Yixing’s arms, tonight. “Make it up to me next time.”

“Next time,” Yixing repeated to himself as he slid on his coat, looking happy with his cheeks balled up into a smile to know that Baekhyun was already anticipating that. “Yeah. Next time.”

The night ended like that, and Baekhyun only stayed up to make sure Yixing got home safe before quickly falling into a deep sleep. He was certain that he had fallen asleep with a satisfied smile, thinking about anything and everything about Yixing.

 

 

 

“You have a lip piercing?” Yixing asked in awe when he walked in, his eyes immediately fixated on the ring poking out of Baekhyun’s bottom lip. Baekhyun looked up from his table, smiling.

“Yeah, I haven’t been wearing it recently. I just make sure it doesn’t close up though,” he leaned in with a hand shielding his mouth as if to tell a secret, before jokingly adding “I don’t want Kyungsoo’s feelings to be hurt.”

“I heard that,” Kyungsoo grumbled from the counter, furrowing his brows. “I couldn’t care less, just don’t complain if you need to get it redone.”

“So he says,” Baekhyun added in a hushed voice, making Yixing giggle. He licked at the metal inside his lip, shrugging. “Maybe I’ll wear it more often, you seem to like it.”

“I do,” Yixing admitted, smirking a little. “I’m also curious what it feels like to kiss someone with a lip ring.”

“It’s actually not that special,” Baekhyun chuckled, nonetheless giving Yixing a hot, open-mouthed kiss in the back of the shop. Yixing tongued a bit at the ring as they kissed, but Baekhyun was right; there wasn’t really much to do beyond the regular stuff. But still, the idea of it was enticing, and Baekhyun just really looked good with it. And nothing was wrong as long as he could kiss Baekhyun.

“Gross, you two,” Chanyeol groaned as he passed by, making a face. “Junmyeon said the studio is off limits from now on, unless it’s business-related. Especially for you.”

“Hey,” Baekhyun said with a pout, slinging an arm almost protectively around Yixing. “Me and Yixing haven’t done anything like that in there.”

“You and _him_ haven’t,” Chanyeol snorted, rolling his eyes and walking off, and Baekhyun just sighed.

Yixing scratched his head, not needing to be a genius to know what that implied. He didn’t get to say anything though, because Baekhyun’s appointment soon showed up.

“My customers are here, Yixing,” Baekhyun sighed, getting up and fixing his bangs. “You can hang around though.”

“Okay. I’ll probably just go back in a bit,” Yixing replied, standing up as well. “We have a catering appointment with someone, too.”

 

He watched from the waiting area by Junmyeon’s desk as Baekhyun greeted his customers; a businessman and someone who was presumably his friend.

“So Minseok, my star, how can I help you today?” Baekhyun asked in his normal bubbly voice, pulling out some paperwork.

“Nothing big, don’t worry. And you remember my friend, Lu Han,” he gestured to the other customer who had walked in with him, and Baekhyun smiled, raising an eyebrow.

“Of _course_ I remember him. Well, why don’t we go over to my station and chat.”

Yixing tilted his head, watching as they went over to discuss things. He knew flirtatiousness was part of Baekhyun’s personality, and he also knew that he definitely wasn’t the only one Baekhyun’s pursued for whatever he wanted from Yixing. He somehow still felt a little weird, watching Baekhyun talk to these men in particular.

“Your boyfriend ditch you?” Sehun asked teasingly when he saw Yixing sitting upright in the waiting area, hands on his knees. He started looking through the appointment schedules on the counter, and Yixing kissed his teeth.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” he said with a shrug and a sheepish smile. Sehun nodded slowly before looking across the shop, where Baekhyun was at his desk.

“Ah, it’s the suit,” he said as he settled his eyes on Minseok. He scoffed a little as he remembered Minseok’s and Baekhyun’s interactions from the last time. Writing something down, he hummed to himself. “Wonder if he’s back for Baek’s below-the-belt offer.”

“Hm. I wonder,” Yixing replied with a natural tone despite feeling a little awkward. And then he was wondering why he was feeling awkward—he literally just explained that he and Baekhyun didn’t have any labels, or anything.

Looking over at Baekhyun, who was all smiles and laughter as he sorted out his equipment, Yixing found himself thinking about it more and more, wondering if it was something he should consider bringing up. He wasn’t sure, though; Baekhyun seemed pretty...free-spirited, if that was the way to describe things. Maybe Yixing would be thinking too hard about it when Baekhyun hadn’t thought about it at all.

“Hey, you okay?” A question suddenly snapped him out of his reverie, and he looked up to see Jongdae standing next to Sehun behind the counter. “Or did you just learn to block Sehun out?” Yixing laughed as Sehun gave Jongdae an indignant look.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Is Baekhyun, um…” In the end he couldn’t find the words, or even decide what exactly he wanted to ask, and he just trailed off wondering if it was too late to abort. But Jongdae was already raising an eyebrow.

“What, did you want to know if Baekhyun’s doing anyone else?” he guessed with a small scoff. “I was wondering if you two were just fucking, or if it was something more serious.”

“Well, right now I guess we are just, you know,” Yixing coughed. “The first thing.”

“Ah. Well, that’s as far as I’ve seen Baekhyun go in a while,” Jongdae said, and Yixing could only nod along and pretend that didn’t begin to sit in his mind.

“Oh. Well, I could kind of tell from what he’s told me in the past,” Yixing replied, twiddling his thumbs aimlessly. He looked over at Baekhyun again, who was laughing at whatever Minseok was saying, his body language looking pretty engaged towards his handsome customer. It wasn’t even only in Yixing’s clouded judgement.

“Yeah, he knows how to get a guy wrapped around his finger,” Jongdae tossed his head towards Baekhyun’s station, “but I haven’t heard him talking much about anyone else like that. Not since he's been busy bothering you.”

“I see,” Yixing said, showing at least a small smile at the thought of this. It didn’t clear everything up, or maybe Jongdae was just trying to make him feel better, but it worked at least for a second. He nodded, standing up and getting ready to leave. “I wasn’t worried or anything, I just… Well, I should be getting back to the bakery.”

“Alright,” Jongdae chittered, and once a blushing Yixing was out the door he and Sehun were able to frivolously gossip about the baker from next door's behavior all they wanted.

 

  
Later after Baekhyun had been done with all his appointments and was taking a break with Jongdae, the latter was already snickering.

“I think your cakeboy might want to be more than fuckbuddies,” Jongdae mentioned, making Baekhyun raise his eyebrows.

“What, did he say that to you?” he laughed, not even buying it. “Then he can tell me himself.”

“I mean it. I’m guessing Sehun said something about Minseok and he got weird.” Jongdae yawned, looking at the clock to gauge how long until his shift was done. “Congrats, against all odds it looked like you’ve bagged him.”

“What odds? I’ve been nothing but charming towards him from the start,” Baekhyun insisted, unsure of how to feel when Jongdae just rolled his eyes.

 

He couldn’t imagine Yixing possibly being upset over anything, not when the two got along so well. But when Yixing didn’t stop by for a few days after that, Baekhyun began to get an idea or two. And it began to annoy him; he wondered if, should Yixing want commitment, there might be changes in how nice and easygoing he was. The premise didn’t excite Baekhyun, and he began to grow a little worried that Yixing was going to turn out to be one of those possessive types.

When Yixing didn’t show at Noveau Black for a couple days, Baekhyun eventually visited the bakery himself, ready to take matters into his own hands if he had to. Even if he didn’t really want to. _Hopefully_ he wouldn't have to.

But the second he bolted into the kitchen to strike an extravagant pose to surprise Yixing, he suddenly felt something bump against him, followed by a loud _splat_ that told him he already wasn’t starting things well.

He drew back and saw a shocked look on Yixing’s face, before directing his gaze slowly downwards to the empty tray in Yixing’s hands, and then the crumbled mess of cake and frosting now lying on the tiled floor.

“Oh— _oh,_ ” Baekhyun sputtered, looking frantically from Yixing’s look of disillusionment to the cake he had knocked out of his hands over and over again, cheeks heating up and heart thumping in his chest. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

“No, no, don’t be,” Yixing remembered to speak up when he finally processed what just happened, his expression looking much more comforted when he looked up at Baekhyun. “You scared me, Baekhyun. But um, don’t worry, it happens.”

Baekhyun still felt guilty as Yixing bent down to scrape the remains onto the tray to throw away. His mind wandered for a second, wondering if this would be the equivalent of Yixing making Baekhyun mess up a tattoo—before deciding that now wasn't the time for jokes and returning to apologizing.

“Was that a custom order?” he asked regretfully, wanting to die when Yixing nodded.

“Yeah, but they won’t pick it up until later tonight. I’ll just make a new one.” He continued cleaning up the mess and wiped his hands on his apron, tilting his head at Baekhyun. “I’m sorry, I’ve been a little busy. I think someone wrote a review of us somewhere, so there’s been an influx of customers and orders and… But are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah,” Baekhyun feigned ignorance, sitting on top of one of the kitchen stools. “Why, you miss me when we can’t see each other as often?”

“I guess so,” Yixing replied, an uncertain smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Heh, you don’t?”

“I do,” Baekhyun immediately insisted in an uncharacteristically shy voice, and Yixing looked just a bit more reassured.

“That's a relief.” He sighed, getting out a mop from the closet. “Well, looks like I'm starting again from scratch after cleaning that mess. Somebody tried to be silly and look what happened.”

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Baekhyun whined, and Yixing just smiled more and assured him he knew. “You’re really not mad about the cake?”

“It was an accident, Baekhyun,” Yixing said with his eyes as honest as ever. “What’s with you? You’re normally so unapologetic.”

“Hey,” Baekhyun sighed, not finding it to his luck that this person seemed to think he was insensitive, or something. Or perhaps he was overanalyzing. “I just wanted to talk to you. I was wondering if maybe you had something on your mind?”

Yixing stopped measuring flour, looking up at Baekhyun with wider eyes.

“Oh, right. Um, I actually do.” He set aside his cleaning supplies, before leaning back on the counter. “Wow, I thought I was going to be the one to bring this up and I feel a little unprepared. But, well...I know that we aren’t dating, so I can’t stop you from whatever it is you may do in your personal life. But…”

“But,” Baekhyun repeated, and Yixing could only shrug. “What, do you think I’m just sleeping around the second you’re out of sight?”

“I never said that,” Yixing said, wide-eyed. “I mean, I want you to know if you do then that’s fine—”

“I know it is,” Baekhyun said, raising an eyebrow. “Is that also why you haven’t stopped by for a couple days? Were you avoiding me?”

“I wasn’t trying to avoid you,” Yixing insisted, staring down at the white frosting smeared across the kitchen floor. “I just wanted to figure out how I wanted to say things to you. Because I felt...I don’t know, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I felt pretty bad thinking about you doing the things we do with other people. So I wanted to think about how I felt, and how I wanted to articulate that.”

“Ah,” Baekhyun said, unsure of how to respond. Yixing took that as a sign to continue.

“And, you know, maybe I got worried that it wouldn’t be a good conversation if I brought it up. Like…” Yixing sighed. “I was paranoid, like whatever we have may not matter as much to you. Or maybe you had someone else, or...”

“But Yixing, you should have just said so,” Baekhyun insisted. “If something makes you feel off then talk to me. Rather than keep it in for a few days and make me worry that you’re just upset I’m fucking other people, or something. You’re not entitled to me.” Yixing’s eyes widened.

“Of course I'm not! I was saying that from the start, that I know we’re not exclusive," Yixing sputtered. "Baekhyun, really, I never mean to impose limitations or whatever on you. I’m sorry if I said something wrong…” He seemed flustered at Baekhyun’s statements, but not annoyed. His visible patience made Baekhyun finally settle down a little.

“No, it’s not that,” Baekhyun finally sighed, realizing that he probably did need to cut Yixing more slack. Yixing, who had always been nothing but respectful towards him. “Sorry, I was a little defensive. I’ve dealt with a lot of bullshit before, with guys thinking I belong with them or something just because I’ve blown them once.”

“That’s definitely not what I was trying to convey,” Yixing promised, holding up his hands in defense.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said apologetically. “Sorry. I guess you're not the only one who got paranoid.”

“Well, you’re right. I should have just told you immediately,” Yixing relented, scratching his head. “Sorry if I made you worry.”

“No, I get it now.” Baekhyun stood there, debating on what to say next. “But Yixing, just to put it out there...I haven’t, you know, done anything with anyone since we started spending lots of time together.”

“You haven’t?” Yixing finally smiled a little when Baekhyun shook his head. “Well...that makes me happy, Baekhyun. Because I like you.”

Baekhyun bit his lip a little as he nodded, but before he could say anything more, Zitao yelled from the window that they were running out of cupcakes in the front. Yixing sighed, bending down once more to finish scraping the mess off of his floor.

“I’m sorry, there’s so much going on right now,” he said guiltily, but Baekhyun patted his shoulder reassuringly. “Can we finish this another time?”

“Yeah, of course we can.”

Baekhyun left after that, but not before squeezing Yixing a little and apologizing once more for the ruined cake. But with Yixing chuckling and telling him yet again that he was fine, he couldn't feel bad for too long.

 

 

He thought about it for the rest of his shift though, about him and Yixing. The two didn’t only make out and have sex, contrary to how his co-workers would describe their relationship. They still talked, they talked a _lot_. They did other things together, like watch each other work, or teach each other things—although that was mainly Yixing teaching Baekhyun how to cook and bake.

Yet everything they did together was always littered with kisses in between, and flirtatious exchanges. So they weren’t exactly _together_ , but they also weren’t just friends who kept the non-casual interactions limited to sex. Baekhyun supposed that this would inevitably beget the question about what they were, or what they would be.

Then thinking about what Sehun and Jongdae might have told Yixing about Minseok or whoever, he sighed. He could now understand why Yixing might have been worried, or needed time to contemplate what he needed to say, _if_ he should say anything at all. Which made Baekhyun feel even more sorry for acting a bit defensive during that conversation.

  
When he thought about it further, it only took him a little bit of lax thinking to conclude that he wouldn’t mind if they attached a label to things. He liked how he and Yixing were now, but he could try being more serious if that’s what Yixing wanted. After all, he’d always meant it whenever he told Yixing that he was special.

 _Yes, Yixing is special_ , he'd think to himself in confirmation. It made him smile a bit as he worked, even if it also bewildered him; but knowing for sure made him all the more desperate to finish talking to Yixing.

So another day passed, and everytime Baekhyun looked outside he could unfortunately see a line out the bakery doors. Yixing was obviously busy, but that wouldn’t stop Baekhyun from anticipating the moment the man would come over to say something, probably along the lines of ‘can we finish our talk?’ or ‘so about the other day…’

But it was taking longer than he wanted; Baekhyun would go crazy every time he’d catch Yixing’s eye through the glass from when he passed by the storefront, since all they could do was wave at each other. Sure it was because Yixing was working up a sweat trying to fulfill all the orders, but still. Baekhyun found himself more agonized by the wait than he realized.

“Why hasn’t he brought it up again?” he demanded to Jongdae one day out of the blue, a prominent pout on his face. Jongdae just looked up from his food with a bewildered expression, before realizing it was the same thing Baekhyun had been groaning about every hour.

“It was just yesterday,” he said blankly, and Baekhyun just looked at him as if to say _yeah, so?_ “He’s busy, there’s probably higher priorities right now.”

He immediately regretted his wording when Baekhyun stared at him like he just dished out the deepest insult. “ _You_ talk to him, then.”

“No, he has things to do and I'll look too impatient,” Baekhyun whimpered, leaning heavily against Jongdae who was trying his best to ignore him. “Is this what being tied down holds for me?”

“You’re so dramatic,” Chanyeol jeered, as if he wasn’t the one always on his phone texting his girlfriend and complaining about their fights. “Was _he_ the one who felt so strongly about this first, or are you sure it wasn’t you after all? _”_

“You’ve gone soft,” Jongdae said teasingly, and Baekhyun could only heave a sigh. He knew already.

 

 

So with nothing of note happening, Baekhyun was really starting to get antsier and antsier about Yixing. The sensation was peculiar to him beyond his own comprehension. He eventually wised up and decided that since he obviously did feel more engaged with this than he thought, then he was much more captivated by Yixing than he had anticipated. And he should just be patient and appreciate that Yixing liked him, too.

Towards the end of his shift he had been getting ready to leave when there was suddenly a small tap on his desk that made him look up. And he instantly felt overwhelmingly relieved to see none other than Yixing himself, smiling at him after he had dropped a cupcake box on his desk.

“Hi,” he greeted, pushing the box over to Baekhyun. “I brought you your favorite, in case you were hungry.”

“Thanks.” Baekhyun found himself already flustered, looking around and wondering if it was obvious he was waiting around, hoping for Yixing to come. “Finally got a break? You look exhausted.”

“Yeah, it’s been so busy. So many custom requests, as well as the place constantly being full,” Yixing sighed, visibly worn out. But he seemed to forget it instantly, and tilted his head at Baekhyun. “You look tired too. What, you miss me?”

The words were obviously mocking Baekhyun’s from the other day, but Baekhyun was now nodding his head up and down like his life depended on it.

“Yeah,” he answered solemnly, and Yixing broke out into a chuckle. “Don’t laugh!”

“How can I not? You’re so silly.” He continued to laugh when Baekhyun scrunched up his nose, until Baekhyun finally cleared his throat.

“So about what we started talking about, the other day,” he began.

“Yes, of course.” Yixing still smiled warmly, and Baekhyun was somehow reassured by that sight that this was going to go way smoother than the last time. “Well, I’ve already said that I’m not crazy about the thought of you doing the things we do with someone else.”

He seemed to be making sure that he wouldn’t sound possessive or imposing, because he shook his head with his lips pursed. “Not just sex, but other things, like...someone holding you like I do, or you looking at someone with that look you give me when I bake for you, or you kissing someone and asking if they’ve been eaten yet...or someone else seeing the stars on your hips or the dove on your ass.”

“These are quite the specific thoughts,” Baekhyun laughed, but it was affectionate. “But yeah, the past couple days I’ve been thinking along the same lines. I was content with how things are, but when I thought of how things _could_ be, well...I stopped being content, I guess. Like, normally I don't care about this, but now, I wouldn’t want to share you with anyone.”

“I’ve never quite heard it like that, before,” Yixing mused, and Baekhyun tried to correct it.

“I just like you a lot. Everything about you.”

“Oh, yeah?” Yixing tittered.

“Yeah.” Baekhyun poked out his lips, thinking about it. “I’m not that good at this, so bear with me. But I think you’re really sweet—figuratively and literally, you always taste like frosting. Which I consider a plus. And you didn’t get some uninspired crap as a tattoo, for some reason I got so many stupid couples this week asking for their names on each other. And we can talk for hours, I never want you to leave when you stay over...the sex is great too, as a side note. Like, _really_ great.”

“Okay, I get it,” Yixing beamed as Baekhyun went down the list. “So…”

“We’re just good together, I guess.” Baekhyun paused, not sure what to say next, and shrugged. “So let’s just be together.”

Yixing cracked a smile, nodding as he tugged Baekhyun forward by his shirt to kiss him on the lips.

“Wonderfully said,” he said when they separated, and Baekhyun beamed, a triumphant look on his face. “But yes, I agree. So is this why you looked a bit mellow when I walked in?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you. But you were so busy,” Baekhyun whined, pulling Yixing in close and leaning his chin on the other man’s shoulder. “But then a tiny part of me would worry that once we _did_ talk, something would still go wrong somehow. Like, maybe I’d make you drop a cake again, and you’d yell at me for it this time...then we’d fight and then it’d all be over.”

“You really don’t know how any of this works, huh,” Yixing said with amusement, before groaning a little when his phone began to ring. “Speaking of dropping cakes. I’m not trying to be an inconsiderate boyfriend or anything, but I need to get back again. There’s this wedding cake I have to finish, and I don’t trust Zitao.”

“That's okay. I’m almost done here, so I’ll stop by.” Baekhyun was content, especially with the sound of the word 'boyfriend' from Yixing's voice. Ordinarily he'd hate how sappy and premature it sounded, but he could look past it this time.

He watched as Yixing nodded and began to turn to leave, before speaking up again. “And when you’re finished can we do something? I’ll take you out for dinner. Real dinner, not just crap from my freezer. We’ve already slept together so you might as well say yes.”

“Who's feeling entitled, now?” Yixing laughed heartily, his reply suddenly getting himself tangled in Baekhyun’s arms. He gave Baekhyun a chaste kiss on the lips, that was readily accepted. “Alright, fine. I’ll look forward to it. Now let go before we get in someone’s way.”

  
Baekhyun obeyed yet still ended up crashing into Junmyeon and nearly making him drop the bin full of lotions and incenses he had been carrying out; but the mini heart attack and the scolding it got from his boss was completely worth Yixing’s bubbly laughter that filled his ears.

 

  
After putting all of his tools away he basically skipped around the parlor with a permanent smile on his face, and Jongin just stared at him as he sank into one of the barber chairs.

“See, Jongin,” Baekhyun said blissfully as he opened the box and shoved the cupcake Yixing had given him into his mouth. Jongin could guess what Baekhyun was referring to, even when his full mouth made him nearly impossible to understand. He just let his co-worker be proud of himself, like he hadn’t been agonizing over Yixing just an hour ago. “He was mine from the very start. And you called me weird, for going after him.”

“I’ll never doubt you again,” was Jongin’s complacent reply, and he could only sigh as Baekhyun spun around in his chair like a lovesick fool.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Baekhyun,” Yixing called from his kitchen with a pout, and his boyfriend had loyally paused the movie he had been watching and joined him immediately. “Can you taste this?”

“I’ve been tasting things all night,” Baekhyun whined, a hand over his full tummy. “I’m gonna get a stomachache!”

“Just one more, I think I’ve got it,” Yixing promised, already shoving a chunk of the freshly baked cake he had made into Baekhyun’s mouth. Baekhyun loudly chewed and swallowed, before nodding with an approving smile as always.

“Yeah, that’s good. It was good the past five times, but this one’s definitely the best.”

He wrapped his arms around Yixing’s waist, pressing a kiss onto the base of his neck. Cherry blossoms now decorated Yixing’s collar and the side of his neck, complimenting the pink flowers on his shoulder blade. “It looks really good, by the way.”

“Is that a compliment for me or for yourself?” Yixing scoffed, teasingly bumping his head against Baekhyun’s. Now that the bakery had been doing well for a year now, he felt secure enough in his career to get more visible tattoos; of course, carefully done by Baekhyun’s hand. He now even had a tiny stud in each earlobe thanks to Kyungsoo, the look of which made Baekhyun go crazy.

“Both.” The two chuckled a little at each other, Yixing turning around to kiss Baekhyun’s sweet smile.

“So. I don’t have to go in early tomorrow,” Yixing began as he peppered Baekhyun’s face with more kisses. “You should stay over, tonight.”

“Since you’re begging me,” Baekhyun said dramatically, yelping when Yixing teasingly pinched his butt in response. “I wish I could stay over every night.”

“Clingy,” Yixing joked, laughing when Baekhyun quite literally latched onto him in response. Baekhyun leaned on his boyfriend in the most strenuous way possible, making Yixing groan before he obliged and held him in his arms. “You’re lucky I’m strong enough for you.”

“Maybe not for long, with how much cake you’re stuffing into me,” Baekhyun sighed, even when he was also the one constantly stealing from Yixing’s kitchen. “But I mean it. I hate leaving here. And I hate when you leave my place.”

“Well…” Yixing began, looking down at Baekhyun and smiling, the crease of his dimple forming on his cheek. “It's been a while. Maybe we can start thinking of ways to fix that.”

“Yeah?” Baekhyun grinned, tucking his head into the crook of Yixing’s neck affectionately. “Like...a _new_ place?”

“Perhaps,” Yixing said, smiling curiously. “Whatever it may be, it’d have to come with a studio where you can draw.”

“And a good kitchen, for you,” Baekhyun added, and his expression only got more and more hopeful. Yixing saw this, laughing softly and brushing his boyfriend’s now platinum blonde hair away from his eyes.

“Alright. We can try thinking about it.” He gave a yawn, putting away his bowls and pans into the sink before wiping the flour off the counter. “Tomorrow, though. I’m tired from all the experimenting I had to do.”

“You’re not too tired for other things though, are you?” the blonde asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "Things that require some...hip work?"  Yixing just gave him an incredulous look.

"Now?" he asked as if he expected anything less. Baekhyun nodded, his smile adorably sly as ever.

“Hm,” Yixing said in a lackadaisical tone, and Baekhyun directed at him the most pleading, puppy-dog eyes as possible. Shifting his gaze around, he gestured to the sink teeming with bowls, pans and mixers. “But look at all of those dishes I have to do…”

In a second flat Baekhyun immediately shouted that he’d get it done, hopping over to the sink and beginning to vigorously scrub at all of its contents like his life depended on it. Yixing gave a small smirk, heading over to the living room and finally sinking on the couch for some long overdue rest; he'd need it for whenever Baekhyun was done with the dishes. At the very least, it had all worked according to plan.


End file.
